Fred kttffin



(No Model.) I/ID. A.l RDDDIN. DDIITIIIFIGAL MACHINE IOR SDPAIIATING- SOLID AND LIQUID MATTI-IRS.`

Patented Den. A., 1883.".

UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes..

MARIE C. A. RUFFIN, OF LPT/IRIS, FRANCE.

CENTRII-'UGAL MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SOLID AND LIQUID MATTERS.

&PECIFICTION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,565, dated December 4, 1883,

Application filed 'December 1, 1881. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it 71cm/ concern Be it known that I, MARIE CHARLES AL- FRED RUFFIN, of `Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Centrifugal Machines for Separating Solid and Liquid Matters Contained in Compounds or Waste Products, of" which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a centrifugalmachine which may be more ad-` vantageously employed than those heretofore used in the separationof certain productssuch as glycerine, oleine, fatty matters, and other products-either solid or liquid, principally those contained in the residues of manufactures, and which are generally found mixed `with other matters, from which it is desired to separate them.

The nature of the invention will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In many cases matter to be purged or separated is composed of crystals, which are not easily compressed, or which would be deteriorated by a too forcible compression; these conditions the purging or separation is effected in an incomplete manner. It is to prevent these inconveniences that I have been led to my invention, which permits, in nearly all cases, the` dispensing`- with the use of a press` or filter-press. Sometimes the compound to be separatedis a liquid, and the end to be obtained is the desiccation of a product. The combined action of centrifugal force and of a current of hot air or dry or superheated steam then permits the accomplishment of the desired result in the most favorable conditions, as regards time and economy.

The centrifugal separator itself, to which I adapt my improvement, may be of any known To the interior of the basket a of the centrifugal separator, or, as it may be termed, the hydro-extractor, is applied the partition or circular guard b, which serves to hold the waterof condensation, and consists of an up- `lower part, into two or more sections, in such a manner as to permit its introduction into the interior of the basket. on its bottom with helices c e, and to its upper face is soldered the conicallpartition b, to the interior of which are soldered or screwed the helices d. The object of these helices d is to direct the condensed water during its descent along the walls of the partition b, and the smaller helices e, arranged between the false bottom and the basket, serve to facilitate the expulsion of this water.

The separator should be provided with a suitable cover, f, formed in two or more pieces.

This plate is provided The introduction of the steam into it takes place in the manner indicated in the United States Patent of Veinrich, No. 125,358, dated April 2, 1872;` but I prefer to adopt the arrangement shown-in thedrawings, which is more economical. It consists in a chest, y, placed directly upon the cover, near to the shaftof theseparator, and made of concave form, (shown in Fig. 3,) permitting the shaft to turn without touching it. This chest receives the steam bya pipe, h, and is provided at its lower part with another pipe,'z`, serving as an outlet for the surplus steam and the water of condensation. In the bottom of the chest I fix a pipe, j, which extends intothe box or to a certain height, to prevent the water `of condensation from entering it, and descends a certain distance into the hydro-extractor or conical guard b, to conduct the steam thereinto. In order to purge the steam as far as possible from the vesicles of water which it carries with it, I do not allow itto enter directly to the upper `part of the bong, whence the pipe j passes out. Therefore, above roo the inlet-pipe h is arranged a partition, 7c, pery forated with only two or three holes, through which the vapor is obliged to pass to arrive at the orifice of the pipe j. The latter is constructed of a suitable form (shown in Fig. 3) to enable it to be placed as near as possible to the shaft. The steam introduced into the separator can be superheated and expanded according to Veinrichs process, now in use.

The construction and arrangement of the partition b, false bottom c, and helices d e, force the liquid to immediately participate in the rotary movement of the whole mass. The compressive action of the centrifugal force is then accomplished uniformly through the thickness of the moving layer, and the separation immediately takes place.

In the purging of matters liquefiable at a variable temperature care must be taken not to let the temperature exceed the point of fusion of one ofthe matters. As an example of this may be cited the treatment of matters containing glycerine. In other cases it is necessary, on the contrary, to carry the temperature to the point of congelation of one of the matters-for example, when it is desired to separate stearine from oleine. In still other cases it is necessary to carry the temperature to the highest point possible, as in case of the desiccation of distillerycakes, principally those obtained by the distillation of grain.

lVIy machine may be used for various purposes, among which are the following:

GZy/cc11Le.-The glycerine contained in the waste product of the manufacture of soap and stearine has heretofore beenextracted by compression. Vhatever be the processes oftreatment employed, there always remains a large proportion of glycerine in the residues,which contain generally carbonate and sulphate of potassa, carbonate of soda, chloride of potassium, and insoluble salts. To separate the glycerine, I introduce the mixture above mentioned into a centrifugal machine, and I place it in contact, at the interior and exterior of the basket,with steam, superheated or not, at a temperature of about 1000 centigrade. The glycerine is dissolved and is expurgated by the centrifugal force, and the salts,which care has been taken not to liquefy, remain in the centrifugal, the salts containing not more than one-half of one per cent. of glycerine.

OZez'na-Without entering into details of the manufacture of stearine, I will say 'that that there remains at the end of the work a waste product composed of certain parts of stearine and of oleine. At a temperature near the point of congelation the stearine assumes the form of a sort of extremely iine crystals which melt with the slightest change ofy temperature. put in bags and allowed to drain. The oleine separated itself slowly and very imperfectly, carrying with it a considerable proportion of stearine, and which, although of great value when pure, was of very little value, because of the stearine in it. To obtain the complete separation of the oleine, I put the mixture in the centrifugal machine when the stearine is yet crystallized, and I pass into the machine a current of cold air. rlhe oleine is evacuated by the centrifugalforce, and the pure or nearly pure stearine remains in the basket. In most cases, as when the crystals are exceedingly minute, it would be necessary to use a centrifugal having very iine wire-eloth, or, better still, to furnish it internally with a felt.

Fatty refuse of slaaf/hte?'-houses. In the melting of tallow all the matters contained in the tallow are put into aboiler and melted withl a certain proportion of sulphurie acid. Then the mass, which contains yet a little grease, is put into apress. I obtain at once the desired result by submitting the tallow containing matters in the centrifugal machine to a current of steam, keeping the grease at its melting'- point.

. The enumeration of examples of the various applications which may be made of my invention might easily be extended, and I will simply mention, in conclusion, the extraction of the grease from ground bones to be used for the manufacture of bone-black. Although I prefer to make the partition b of conically or downwardly ilaring form, I may make it of cylindric or other form. l

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination,with a centrifugal basket, of a partition, b, therein, means for delivering steam or air into the interior of the partition, the false bottom c, and helices el e, attached to the inner side of the partition b and to the Linder side of the falsebottom c, sub` stantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the centrifugal basket and a partition, b, arranged therein, of a steam-box provided with a transverse perfo- Heretofore the matter was` IOO rated partition, a steam-supply pipe leading IIO 

